Zen Michalski could remain Ohio State’s starting left tackle against Penn State.
Despite the offensive line’s struggles against Nebraska, Ryan Day said Tuesday that Michalski would be in line to start at left tackle against the Nittany Lions if he is available to play, though Day later backtracked and said Ohio State will “continue to evaluate” its lineup on the offensive line.
“If he can go, we'll continue to evaluate kind of where we're at,” Day said. “I don't think we've made a decision on that yet. We'll have to first see if he can go and then go from there.”
The first question is whether Michalski will be available to play at Penn State, and that’s far from certain. Michalski suffered a lower-body injury in the fourth quarter against the Cornhuskes that was serious enough that he had to be carted back to the locker room, and Day said his status for this week is still being evaluated.
If Michalski is unable to play, the expectation is that Donovan Jackson would be the next man up at left tackle. Day made no announcement on Tuesday about who would start at LT if Michalski can’t play, saying he wants to see how the week of practice goes first, but Jackson slid out to left tackle when Michalski left the game against Nebraska. Jackson had never previously played tackle in a game for the Buckeyes, but Day said Jackson has spent time practicing at tackle.
If Jackson moves to left tackle, it’s expected that Austin Siereveld will join the starting lineup at guard. Siereveld started the first two games of the season at left guard when Jackson was sidelined by a hamstring injury, though he could potentially start at right guard with Tegra Tshabola shifting over to left guard if Jackson slides outside.
